Shotlist

4. Drawing of "Statue of Tyranny," the Minnesota team's first proposal this year that got denied for competition

5. Two drawings of "Descension" (front and back), the Minnesota team's second proposal that got denied for competition

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- January 30, 2019

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Don Berg, event organizer. "It's also a family event and there's hardly enough room for that kind of negativity number one. And levels of persuasion, political persuasion. It was was very very upsetting."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- February 3, 2018

7. Two photos of Minnesota team's "Peep" sculpture from last year

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- January 31, 2019

8. Wide of blocks of snow from this year

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Falcon Heights, Minnesota – 28 January 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dusty Thune (THOON), Minnesota snow sculptor. "Well I'm feeling a bit angsty I guess a little censored. I feel like if art is not supposed to be provocative and I suppose you risk taking you know what is it then."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- January 31, 2018

10. Various file video of Thune helping to create "Peep" last year

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- January 31, 2019

11. Team Alaska discussing sculpture

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- January 30, 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Lloyd, Alaska snow sculptor. ""We would never do something like that at a competition like this because we always try to appeal to everybody and anything political is not gonna appeal to kids just at its base. It's not they're not going to get it. "

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- January 31, 2019

13. Jesse Mallor from Team Alaska

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Falcon Heights, Minnesota – 28 January 2019

14. Various of Minnesota sculpture that won their state this year

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dusty Thune, Minnesota snow sculptor. "We did win this year, so we are supposedly being sent to Nationals again and I'm sure we'll be asked to put an application and we will and it will probably be political if that's still what's going on in the world today because we have something to say, we're not going to sit back and sit down be quiet."

Storyline

Politics has reached the United States National Snow Sculpting Championship and organizers aren't happy about it.

A Minnesota snow sculpting team won't be at the event this week after two of their proposed pieces - including one depicting President Trump - were denied due to political overtones or inappropriateness.

The team - state champs Dusty Thune, Kelly Thune and David Aichinger - had created a snow sculpture of Trump last year at the event in Lake Geneva, Wis., but had tweaked the submitted design once they got to the event. The end result showed Trump's signature hair, and neck as a twisted pile of feces featuring his tweets. It was called "Peep" and meant to evoke Trump's vulgar comment about African countries.

So organizers clarified rules early on this year with sculptors, warning them to stay away from controversial and political designs because the event is family friendly.

Dusty Thune says art should be provoke conversation and that's what they are doing.

Event organizer Don Berg says they want all the sculptures to be family friendly.

The team's first proposal called "Statue of Tyranny," depicted Trump as the Statue of Liberty with a child in a cage beneath him. When that was turned down due to political overtones, they submitted "Descension," which depicted people being moved down an escalator into a gear, which Thune said explored the process of self-destruction through greed and loss of empathy.

Alaska sculptor Matt Lloyd, also a graphic artist, says he believes in the freedom of artistic expression but doesn't agree that the national competition is the place for Thune's political beliefs.

"We always try to appeal to everybody and anything political is not going to appeal to kids."

As far as next year, his team won their state competition in Minnesota again this year making them eligible for the national competition in Wisconsin again.

"And it will probably be political if that's still what's going on in the world today because we have something to say we're not going to sit back and sit down and be quiet," Thune said.